July 14, 1881 Tsunami: Northern Chile
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Northern Chile on July 14, 1881. The water rose as high as 1.4 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- July 14, 1881
- Source
- Northern Chile
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Maximum water height
- 1.4 m (4.6 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 20.200° S, 70.100° W
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
July 14, 1881, 8:00 [local time]. There was a terrible earthquake at Iquique, as a result of which the sea became so agitated that here and there it encroached inland, reaching the office of the foundry situated near Molino Bay. (reference #415)
July 14, 1881, 20.2 S, 70.1 W, runup height 1.4 m (reference #552)
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iquique | Chile | 6 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1881The 1800sTsunamis of ChileThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 1123.